Can anyone explain Jack Cittarelli's plans for school funding in New Jersey if he becomes the governor? Because he can't.
Take, for example, this from his website:
Jack will reform the state school funding formula, set a statewide standard on per-pupil spending and then allow that money to follow the student, while instructing the State Department of Education to get off the backs of higher-performing districts while concentrating on under-performing districts. [emphasis mine]What, exactly, does it mean to "set a statewide standard on per-pupil spending"? If we're to believe this story from InsiderNJ, it means, believe it or not, a spending cap:
- Replace the current school funding formula with one that standardizes and caps per pupil spending and rewards – not punishes – high-performing school districts that have seen funding slashed, schools closed, and extracurricular activities cut under S2. Also, make the state pick up 100% of the cost of special education.
I've been busting on Ciattarelli for the past few posts, but it's fair to say many politicians and pundits, both in and out of New Jersey and on both sides of the political aisle, have adopted this same framework. In their world, "high-performing" school districts are suffering from slashed budgets while "under-performing" districts spend like bandits but get bad results.
Of course, it just so happens the "high-performing" districts are majority white and Asian, while the "under-performing" districts are majority Black and Latinx/Hispanic. But folks like Ciattarelli will never mention the very well documented history of systemic racism that created the segregation that plagues New Jersey and other states. And they will never admit that this is why communities of color need more state funding for their schools.
These school districts are educating the most disadvantaged children—but they have the smallest property tax bases. So they can't raise adequate local funds without sky-high property tax rates, which is why the state has to step in and provide funding. This is basic stuff, folks: School Finance 101. If you're going to be governor, you've got to understand it.
But if you listen to what Jack Ciattarelli says, it's clear he just doesn't get it. Or maybe he does—but he's too scared of his Republican base to tell them the truth. Instead, he continues to parrot right-wing nonsense like this:
Our property taxes are the highest in the nation, not necessarily because of municipal and county budgets, upon which [a governor has] no real power. Where I could have real influence is the school tax, and that’s because of state aid. So, we need a new school funding formula. The current one is nefarious. It’s arbitrary and violates the equal benefit clause of our state constitution that says no community is supposed to suffer at the expense of another. So, with a more equitable distribution of state aid, we can lower property taxes. The cost per pupil in a place like Newark is $37,000, while the state average is $16,000. No one can justify to me that a particular student needs $21,000 more per year to educate them. That makes a compelling case why the current formula is unfair. Does that mean I will leave a community or student behind if that school district isn’t performing well? No. I believe in a voucher system, like we’ve seen in Arizona, Ohio, and Florida. I also believe in school choice, and charter schools to achieve that objective.
As I noted last time, the data say Ciattarelli is full of it.
| District | Total Current Spending, FY2023 | Pct. Poverty, 5-17 yer-olds (2023) | Pct. English Language Learners (2023) |
| Newark City | $28,631 | 30.0% | 21.6% |
| All other NJ districts | $25,408 | 11.2% | 8.3% |
According to valid federal data, Newark does not spend $21K per pupil more than other NJ districts. But let's take this another step...
Because that figure for "all other NJ districts" is an average. Which means some districts spend less, but some districts spend more. Given Ciattarelli's worry about the "nefarious" school funding formula, it's worth asking this question: Are there any affluent, suburban, majority-white districts that spend more per pupil than Newark?
Yes. Quite a few, in fact.
The table below uses the NJ Taxpayers' Guide To Education Spending. The figures are for the school year 2022-23: this is the latest year of data showing actual, not budgeted, spending.* I use the "budgetary spending" figures, because as NJDOE itself notes: "These costs are considered to be more comparable among districts, and may be useful for budget considerations."
The districts I compare to Newark are all relatively affluent, as judged by the NJDOE's District Factor Groups (DFGs). I only include those districts in DFGs "GH,""I," or "J," the highest categories of socio-economic status. This also excludes vo-tech and charter schools.
There are 92 affluent New Jersey districts—almost all majority white—that spend more per pupil than Newark. Yet Newark's students are far more likely to be in poverty and to speak a language other than English at home.
I've included some other data (coming from school aid notices I obtain through Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests). The last column shows the total property value for each school district, divided by the number of enrolled resident students. Notice how small that figure is for Newark compared to the suburbs. This is a legacy of racist housing practices that continue to suppress property values in communities of color, making it far more difficult to raise funds for schools.
See, property taxes are based on property values: the taxes are based on some percentage of the value of the property in a school district. When property values are low, it's hard to raise funds; the property tax rate has to be set higher than in district with relatively high property values just to raise the same amount of funds.
Because of systemic racism, communities like Newark have lower property values than majority-white communities. It is, therefore, much more difficult for them to raise money locally for their schools. This is why they MUST have more state aid.
The NJ courts have ruled on this over and over and over again: Communities of color need more help from the state because 1) their tax bases are low, and 2) they serve more children in poverty. The NJ Supreme Court sent the NJ Legislature back to the drawing board three times before it said the state finally had a school funding formula that acknowledged this reality.
And now Jack Ciattarelli wants to blow the whole thing up. He wants much higher taxes for Black and Hispanic/Latinx towns and cities. He wants less help for the schools that enroll the most vulnerable students. And, apparently, Ciattarelli wants to cap school spending for almost 100 relatively affluent districts that spend more per pupil than Newark -- that is, of course, unless he is a screaming hypocrite.
Is he?
In addition, instead of real help, he offers communities of color school "choice." More on why that's such a horrible idea next.
| District | Pct. White | Pct. Free or Reduced-Price Lunch | Pct. Multilingual Learner | DIstrict Factor Group | Budgetary Spending per pupil | Equalized Housing Value per pupil |
| Newark Public School District | 7% | 74% | 29% | A | $20,026 | $263,176 |
| Northern Highlands Regional High School District | 68% | 1% | 0% | J | $20,031 | $1,642,773 |
| Montclair Public School District | 51% | 16% | 3% | I | $20,043 | $1,428,397 |
| Alexandria Township School District | 85% | 9% | 2% | GH | $20,140 | $1,273,521 |
| Manasquan School District | 83% | 13% | 2% | GH | $20,159 | $3,609,315 |
| Woodcliff Lake School District | 76% | 1% | 2% | J | $20,163 | $2,125,023 |
| Lafayette Township School District | 74% | 6% | 1% | GH | $20,172 | $1,346,024 |
| Holmdel Township School District | 67% | 3% | 2% | I | $20,265 | $1,579,862 |
| Rumson Borough School District | 91% | 0% | 0% | J | $20,378 | $3,222,648 |
| Chester Township School District | 70% | 6% | 3% | J | $20,448 | $1,524,677 |
| Lenape Regional High School District | 68% | 17% | 1% | GH | $20,471 | $986,472 |
| Hillsdale School District | 69% | 9% | 2% | GH | $20,491 | $1,240,179 |
| West Morris Regional High School District | 75% | 1% | 1% | I | $20,571 | $1,384,446 |
| East Hanover Township School District | 66% | 3% | 2% | GH | $20,638 | $2,647,735 |
| Wayne Township Public School District | 67% | 12% | 5% | GH | $20,648 | $1,474,833 |
| Somerset Hills Regional School District | 64% | 19% | 9% | I | $20,651 | $2,375,537 |
| Clinton-Glen Gardner School District | 70% | 19% | 4% | I | $20,676 | $1,012,442 |
| Montville Township School District | 56% | 3% | 4% | I | $20,706 | $1,560,431 |
| Freehold Township School District | 71% | 17% | 2% | GH | $20,813 | $1,410,221 |
| West Essex Regional School District | 78% | 4% | 1% | I | $20,922 | $2,230,018 |
| Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School District | 89% | 1% | 0% | J | $20,967 | $2,406,670 |
| Millstone Township School District | 76% | 9% | 1% | I | $21,042 | $1,400,088 |
| Roosevelt Borough Public School District | 61% | 1% | 1% | GH | $21,057 | $876,496 |
| Bethlehem Township School District | 84% | 3% | 1% | I | $21,148 | $1,218,865 |
| Lebanon Township School District | 86% | 16% | 3% | I | $21,224 | $1,290,504 |
| Florham Park School District | 68% | 1% | 3% | I | $21,250 | $2,876,537 |
| River Vale Public School District | 74% | 1% | 1% | I | $21,272 | $1,484,848 |
| Delaware Township School District | 78% | 5% | 2% | GH | $21,286 | $1,846,088 |
| Mendham Borough School District | 80% | 4% | 3% | J | $21,300 | $1,952,166 |
| Watchung Hills Regional High School District | 52% | 3% | 2% | I | $21,425 | $1,961,343 |
| Fredon Township School District | 79% | 13% | 0% | GH | $21,437 | $1,250,363 |
| Rockaway Township School District | 54% | 20% | 4% | I | $21,448 | $1,406,942 |
| Readington Township School District | 72% | 15% | 2% | I | $21,534 | $1,690,847 |
| Hunterdon Central Regional High School District | 67% | 19% | 5% | I | $21,535 | $1,368,175 |
| Upper Saddle River School District | 63% | 0% | 2% | J | $21,601 | $1,784,885 |
| Ringwood School District | 74% | 11% | 1% | GH | $21,646 | $1,173,707 |
| Essex Fells School District | 76% | 0% | 0% | J | $21,647 | $2,297,446 |
| Green Township School District | 81% | 11% | 0% | I | $21,677 | $866,980 |
| Union Township School District | 74% | 6% | 2% | GH | $21,760 | $1,451,621 |
| Morris Plains School District | 67% | 13% | 4% | I | $21,799 | $1,997,659 |
| Paramus Public School District | 43% | 17% | 4% | GH | $21,824 | $3,062,844 |
| Lenape Valley Regional High School District | 65% | 18% | 4% | GH | $21,846 | $842,850 |
| Oceanport School District | 89% | 7% | 1% | GH | $21,857 | $2,100,984 |
| Hanover Township School District | 62% | 6% | 4% | I | $21,863 | $2,521,053 |
| Island Heights School District | 86% | 2% | 1% | GH | $21,917 | $1,934,654 |
| Delaware Valley Regional High School District | 82% | 13% | 1% | GH | $21,960 | $1,232,068 |
| Haworth Public School District | 62% | 0% | 5% | I | $22,033 | $1,582,638 |
| East Amwell Township School District | 77% | 16% | 4% | I | $22,044 | $1,783,920 |
| Boonton Township School District | 77% | 2% | 0% | I | $22,060 | $1,659,659 |
| Mendham Township School District | 83% | 0% | 0% | J | $22,088 | $1,748,643 |
| Oakland Public School District | 76% | 9% | 3% | I | $22,133 | $1,426,568 |
| Wall Township Public School District | 83% | 12% | 2% | GH | $22,135 | $2,271,707 |
| Princeton Public School District | 45% | 14% | 4% | I | $22,331 | $2,378,670 |
| Monmouth Beach School District | 91% | 0% | 0% | I | $22,460 | $6,720,665 |
| Morris Hills Regional School District | 49% | 22% | 5% | GH | $22,509 | $1,245,248 |
| Teaneck School District | 11% | 46% | 5% | GH | $22,606 | $1,696,591 |
| Branchburg Township School District | 62% | 12% | 2% | I | $22,618 | $2,107,581 |
| West Orange Public Schools | 18% | 39% | 7% | GH | $22,741 | $992,920 |
| Clinton Township School District | 72% | 13% | 3% | I | $22,746 | $1,367,529 |
| Mahwah Township Public School District | 60% | 14% | 3% | I | $22,813 | $2,400,283 |
| High Bridge Borough School District | 70% | 22% | 2% | GH | $22,897 | $857,159 |
| Hopewell Valley Regional School District | 68% | 6% | 2% | I | $23,092 | $1,539,715 |
| Franklin Township School District | 74% | 18% | 5% | I | $23,141 | $1,442,577 |
| Mount Arlington Public School District | 43% | 25% | 8% | GH | $23,735 | $1,776,232 |
| Ramsey School District | 76% | 7% | 3% | I | $23,898 | $1,560,248 |
| Colts Neck Township School District | 87% | 3% | 1% | I | $23,955 | $2,322,403 |
| Midland Park School District | 71% | 8% | 2% | GH | $24,440 | $1,569,577 |
| Park Ridge School District | 70% | 9% | 2% | I | $24,472 | $1,581,949 |
| North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District | 82% | 5% | 0% | I | $24,544 | $1,426,421 |
| Bloomsbury Borough School District | 69% | 23% | 0% | GH | $24,580 | $870,182 |
| Tewksbury Township School District | 77% | 4% | 1% | J | $24,584 | $2,434,475 |
| Bedminster Township Public School District | 53% | 13% | 6% | I | $24,593 | $3,638,079 |
| Mountain Lakes Public School District | 67% | 2% | 1% | J | $24,681 | $1,258,570 |
| Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District | 81% | 2% | 1% | I | $24,826 | $1,894,171 |
| Bay Head Borough School District | 90% | 0% | 0% | I | $24,912 | $27,834,838 |
| South Hunterdon Regional School District | 64% | 30% | 8% | I | $24,980 | $1,936,377 |
| Hanover Park Regional High School District | 72% | 4% | 3% | GH | $25,378 | $2,668,784 |
| Shore Regional High School District | 82% | 15% | 2% | GH | $25,576 | $3,267,537 |
| Warren Township School District | 53% | 9% | 4% | I | $25,577 | $2,086,300 |
| Cranbury Township School District | 50% | 10% | 5% | J | $25,711 | $2,890,144 |
| Monmouth Regional High School | 46% | 35% | 6% | GH | $25,995 | $2,205,552 |
| Lebanon Borough School District | 76% | 16% | 0% | I | $26,020 | $1,748,372 |
| Northern Valley Regional High School District | 51% | 1% | 2% | I | $26,406 | $1,546,869 |
| Franklin Lakes School District | 76% | 3% | 1% | I | $26,548 | $2,774,823 |
| Califon Borough School District | 76% | 0% | 0% | I | $26,616 | $1,419,963 |
| Avon Boro School District | 88% | 14% | 4% | I | $26,624 | $11,656,592 |
| Pascack Valley Regional High School District | 68% | 2% | 1% | I | $27,574 | $1,603,043 |
| Englewood Cliffs School District | 26% | 0% | 9% | I | $28,747 | $8,177,879 |
| Harding Township School District | 83% | 3% | 1% | J | $29,506 | $5,917,159 |
| Sea Girt Borough School District | 80% | 0% | 0% | I | $29,592 | $21,036,642 |
| Alpine Public School District | 56% | 0% | 4% | I | $30,229 | $9,597,392 |
| Spring Lake Borough | 95% | 4% | 0% | I | $32,099 | $28,190,916 |
| Saddle River School District | 64% | 0% | 0% | J | $43,763 | $8,091,611 |
* Yes, this matters. I have been working with this data for some time, and I will tell you there are always significant difference between what districts budget to spend in a year, and what they actually spend. I always use the latest "actual" spending figures, and not the "budgeted" figures, because the actual figures are audited and represent real, and not projected, spending.
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